Slipknot/Stone Sour frontman Corey Taylor‘s decision to hit the road this coming spring on a socially distanced tour amid the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t sat well with some. That trek will run from May 18th to June 18th and adhere to a blanket set of safety guidelines—rather than just those put in place by the states and cities. Taylor has since offered following in regards to the steps being taken to keep the shows safe for all those involved:
“Be advised, that these shows, regardless of State guidelines, COVID Health Protocols Shall Be Strictly Enforced By Purchaser for all Employees, Patrons and Artists Throughout Entirety Of Event. All Patrons Are Required To Wear Masks At All Times When NOT In Their Pod or At Their Table / Seat. Patrons Shall Be Required To Practice Social Distancing At All Times When NOT In Their Pod or At Their Table / Seat. There will be Temperature Checks at Entry. Patrons Included In Each Pod or Table Shall Be Required To Enter Venue Together.”
Of course, with certain states having lifted regulations and limitations on public gatherings already, this has drawn some anger from those planning to attend. Likewise, others have spoken out about their concerns that touring during an international pandemic is needlessly reckless.
Taylor has since gone on to address these concerns and more in a new op-ed he penned for Rollingstone.com. While the majority of that piece centers around cancel culture, the below excerpt addresses why he feels like it’s the right time to try to get back out on the road:
“To most, it’ll only seem like a ploy to get back out there for people to fall and fawn for the songs I love to play, but to me and everyone in my industry, we know that there are thousands of people who depend on us to make their livings, and they need the great gears to churn and the rust to fall away from the “‘live scene” so we can all get back to work. It’s the life’s blood for millions: the people who book us, the clubs who host us, the techs and management who help us, the drivers on our busses, the bands who accompany us, the promoters who start the screaming and finally, the fans we bring the show to because they need it just as much as we do, after 365 days stuck in our caves. People need release and we’re ready to give it to them.
As much as we wanted it, we knew we had to do it right — too much riding on it, from our health to our pocketbooks. We knew we’d have to get down to the minutiae to make sure we were doing it by the book, regardless of what local or state mandates were or were not in place. We are going to have pod seating, temp checks, social distancing, masks at all times except in those pods, waivers signed saying you understand what’s up, etc.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that people aren’t going to see one headline announcing the tour and assume that we’re not taking any of those precautions. Come to think of it, most people only read the headline for any story, and head straight for the meltdown without even taking a second to see if their suspicions are correct or not. They are only interested in joining the choruses of the incorrigible, the hordes of the abhorrent who keep little love in their hearts because they’re too busy looking for the next big thing to hate.”
You can read on over at Rollingstone.com. Taylor‘s tour will find him and his backing band out supporting his solo album “CMFT“, while his wife’s Alicia‘s dance troupe, the Cherry Bombs will open. Dates for that trek include:
05/18 Tempe, AZ – The Marquee Backyard
05/20 Lubbock, TX – Lonestar Event Center
05/21 San Antonio, TX – Vibes Event Center
05/22 Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall
05/24 Dallas, TX – Gas Monkey Outdoors
05/26 Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom
05/28 St. Louis, MO – Pop’s
05/29 Nashville, TN – Marathon Music Works
05/30 Chattanooga, TN – The Signal
06/01 Belvidere, IL – The Apollo Theatre
06/03 Green Bay, WI – Epic Event Center
06/05 Fort Wayne, IN – Piere’s Entertainment Center
06/07 Joliet, IL – The Forge
06/11 Detroit, MI – Harpo’s
06/12 East Moline, IL – Rust Belt
06/15 Dubuque, IA – Five Flags Event Center
06/17 Des Moines, IA – Horizon Event Center
06/18 Wichita, KS – The Cotillion Ballroom
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